In an time when flip flops double as flasks and nearly any gadget can be covered with bling, it's a relief to find a company whose goal is the "careful elimination and subtraction of gratuitous features and design unrelated to function." The company in question is Muji, and it makes everything from clocks and speakers to bedtime slippers and rice snacks.

Muji's first American store opened today in downtown Manhattan. We visited and were relieved to find it to be almost identical to the store's European branches. And without the VAT tax, some items were even a tad less expensive. — S.E. Kramer

Via Muji